Ganges River dolphin has also been officially declared as National Aquatic Animal of India.

About Gangetic River Dolpin

The Gangetic Dolpin is also recognized as ‘Tigers of Ganga’ because it enjoys the place in Ganga that is equal to that of the tiger in the forest.

Platanista gangetica is its scientific name.

Habitat:

Dolphin lives in freshwater and prefers deep waters in and around the confluence of two or more rivers.

Share their habitat with fresh water turtles like crocodiles and wetland birds.

Characteristic features:

It has a strong and flexible body with large flippers.

It has a low trilateral dorsal fin.

Its weighs is up to 150 kg.

Usually Males are smaller than females.

Gangetic Dolpin is generally blind and use ultrasonic sound to catch their target.

Protection status:

It is listed as ‘endangered’ by IUCN.

It is also located in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Threats:

Entanglement in fishing nets, hunting for their oil and meat, poisoning of water supply of river from manufacturing and agricultural chemicals.

They are facing most important threat from construction of dams with the upper course of their habitable rivers.

It creates the separation of inhabitants and has a sharp gene pool in which dolphins can breed.

Conservation Programme:

Ganges River Dolphin Conservation Programme has been launched by Union Government (MoEFCC) in 1997 to build a scientific database of their population status and also learning their habitat excellence of the dolphins’ distribution range.